Stitching and Fundraising

Hi, I thought I would check in with a quick update. My life has been busy so I have not accomplished much stitching. My Bee Scissor Fob has some more of the background done and the pink flowers are complete. This would not take all that much to finish.

My Long Dog Sampler has made a little progress. I have been working on the flower on the right hand side of the picture. A close up is below. It may appear that I am working this in a non-logical way but when I am in the mood to count, I work on a section that needs counting. When I am tired I will go back in and fill in an area. Some nights brainless tasks are all I can handle.

This weekend is a Derby party and a fund raiser for Chicago House. The Derby party is at my house. We are planning on about 10 to 15 people. We will have Mint Juleps (gross), snacks and betting on the race. DH goes and buys a $2 dollar ticket to win on each horse. Everyone will get to draw a ticket and they will get the money from OTB for the winning horse. It is a fun way to get everyone involved in the race. I heard some of the guests are already making hats for the event. After the Derby, the Hawks play hockey. We live a mile or so from the United Center so our hood will be hopping.

Sunday is the Chicago House fundraiser. It is a brunch at the Chicago Public library. This is a big event for us each year. A friend is on the board. This event includes a silent auction, an auction, a flower show, and a fashion show. Oh, I forgot to mention Chicago House supports homeless families with AIDS so it is mainly a room full of gay men sipping Champagne for breakfast. I bought the dress below. I thought it was great for the event with the flowers. It took me over an hour with a very patient sales girl at Nordstrom's to buy this dress. I am sure she thought I should have bought 10 dresses with all I tried on. I really was stuck on buying a bright, floral dress. The one I really liked the fabric had funny pleats on the back and made my rear look big.

Last weekends fundraiser raised $127k which was $57k more than was expected from this event. It was a beautiful event. The private club was quite the place. A little oasis just off Lake Shore Drive. The money raised goes to a great cause and will secure our budget for the slower summer fundraising months.

I did read the Pulitzer Prize winning book Tinkers last week. Again, an award winning book that did not blow up my skirt. I have to learn to stay away. I am reading the new Harlan Corbin book, Caught. This is a good mystery. It will not win any literary awards but it is fun to read.

Have a great weekend. I hope everyone has lots of crafting time. Kelly